Interlude
by Darkhymns
Summary: Disappointed that his friends couldn't join them tonight, Colette tries to explain to Lloyd just why they felt they had to leave. [Taken place during the Rodeo Ride Tour Drama CD]


**Specifically takes place after Track 3 of the Rodeo Ride Tour Drama CD, Volume 2. Special thanks to Winged Dancer's novelization of the CD (which is posted here on as "Rodeo Ride Tour") as I would never have been able to understand what was going on without their work.**

 **Some implied Lloyd/Sheena, very slight Zelos/Sheena, but Lloyd/Colette all the way~**

* * *

His first hint that something was wrong was an obvious one. The sound of his door slamming open made him turn, made him hold up the meat he had for Noishe's lunch just out of reach of the whining animal.

"Zelos?" Lloyd called out to him from the dog's stable. "Hey, what's going-?"

Zelos only flicked him a glance, the heat of a previous anger still burning in his eyes. Clutching his sheathed sword that was strapped to his side, he walked further out into the field past Lloyd, heading towards the bridge that spanned across the small stream.

Before Lloyd could say anything else, the other raised one hand as in a wave, not looking behind him.

"I'll see you later, Bud, okay?" And with that, he marched down the forest's path, his bright red hair soon vanishing among the greenery.

Lloyd stared for a long moment, only brought back by a tugging on his hand. He looked down to see Noishe's jaws clamped on the meat, half-growling and half-whining that he couldn't be free to eat it.

Immediately letting go, Lloyd walked to the front door, his boots clumping against the wooden porch as he went inside.

He found Sheena there in the kitchen to his left, staring down at a boiling pot that was brimming with herbs and dark spices. She had on an apron for her dinner preparations, its previous wears and tears now mended with bright red stitching.

"Hey, uh, did something happen?" he asked, his voice just a tad quieter than usual. Sheena was standing rather still, which was unnerving. "I just saw Zelos walk off, looking all mad."

She didn't answer, raising the tension. He tried again.

"Did you two have a fight or something?"

"No." Sheena's answer came quickly, catching him a bit off guard. "It was nothing."

Lloyd didn't understand, but he wanted to get rid of the discomfort he was feeling right now. Hadn't they all just been laughing last night, drinking away the wine that his father had hid in the cupboards?

"Well… you two should make-up, alright?" he said with a little hope. "Oh yeah - a messenger came by today. He said Colette should be here tonight! All four of us can have a party, and it'll be fun! I can help you bring Zelos back if you need me to. What do you think?"

Sheena turned to him then. Something passed over her face, something he couldn't really name.

"Sorry, Lloyd." Her hands went to untie the apron strings around her waist, then set it carefully on a nearby chair. "I also have to go."

"Huh?"

"The soup's almost done now." She gestured to the brimming pot, heating over the coals. "It should just need some salt later, and you can add other stuff too if you want, like garlic or-"

"Hold on a sec," Lloyd carefully interrupted her. She had been talking fast, nervousness clearly plaguing her. Had he said something wrong? Should he apologize? "I'm… not sure what just happened? Did I upset you?"

Back in her ninja attire, Sheena moved her eyes to the floor. "No, nothing like that. It's my fault anyway…I just have to go."

Lloyd felt like he had walked into the middle of an entirely different situation. Both Sheena and Zelos seemed like they would stay for another night, and he had been looking forward to it! Especially now that Colette would be here. Zelos would be singing dumb songs with him again, and Sheena would pound her hands against the table as she drank, making Colette nearly spill her food from laughter. There had to be some way to fix this, something he was missing.

"But… you guys just got here," he said lamely.

At that, Sheena smiled, a little strained, but sad. She took a few steps toward the door, but then looked at him fully, as if seeing him for the first time. Unsure of the silence, Lloyd opened his mouth to say something else, but she had stepped forward, embracing him fully, with a force that nearly made him stumble.

"It's been fun." Her head pressed against his chest, her dark hair nearly brushing his face. "Thank you."

"Uh… Sheena…?" His arms stayed outstretched, hands open and fingers splayed. The seconds passed, making his throat clog. Should he hug back? Is that what she wanted? Agonizing over what his decision should be, she made the choice for him and stepped out of his reach, already jogging toward the open door.

"Tell Colette I said hi." She waved to him, her face stretched into a grin, her voice slightly loud. "We'll try visiting again soon!"

Then she rushed off down the same pathway that Zelos had taken, leaving Lloyd standing inside his house, still going over what had just happened.

* * *

The soup had an amazing blend of flavors, sprinkled with herbs and steeped in chicken to make one feel full. There was still plenty left in the pot, and Colette was already looking forward to having more of the dish for the following night after.

"Ah, this is so tasty!" Colette held up the spoon in hand, her feet swinging happily as she sat. There were baskets of fresh bread too on the dinner table, perfect for dipping into the soup's contents. She had brought them with her from the last village she was at, along with a few chocolate cakes that she knew Lloyd would love, who had instantly devoured said cakes once she arrived with them.

But she noticed how her words rung in the silence. She gazed thoughtfully at the boy sitting across from her. "Lloyd? Is something wrong?"

He looked up from his own bowl, blinking away past thoughts. "Oh, nah, it's nothing, Colette." He gave a smile, though it was weak. "Yeah, it's fine."

Colette could easily recognize a lie, because it was the same that she would once give not so long ago, covering up her falsehoods with a laugh. But she didn't call him out on it just yet. She watched carefully as Lloyd went back to his meal, eating it vigorously as if to make up for his past morose behavior.

Once both were done, he pushed aside his bowl and stretched his arms over his head. "That really was pretty good, huh?" he commented, eyes fixed on the house's ceiling, on the crisscrossing wooden beams that supported the upper floors.

"Yeah! Sheena's a really good cook! I hope she can give me her recipe later when she comes by again."

Lloyd made an assenting noise, still keeping his eyes away from her own. She could just see the gears turning in his head, going over a problem that he couldn't seem to figure out. After going on this journey with him, she had learned to notice his little tells, his slight changes in mood from just one spoken word or the way he would seat himself against a tree as they camped outside. He'd cross one leg over the other when he was impatient, or twist his lips slightly when something bothered him. With no other traveling companions taking her attention, it was easy to keep track.

Taking her now empty bowl in her hands, she stood up, the chair scraping against the hardwood floors. "Hey, why don't we go up to the terrace afterwards?"

Lloyd finally turned back to her, remembering where he was. She could tell that the smile he gave this time was more genuine. "Sure, that sounds nice."

After dumping the bowls and utensils in the sink (it was Lloyd's turn to wash them, but he always did it days later, protesting that getting water from the stream was too hard), both kids went upstairs to seat themselves at the terrace that was adjoined to Lloyd's room. The moon was only half-full but still shone bright as it hung from the sky. Colette craned her head back to gaze at it, resting her shoulders against the wooden railing.

"The breeze is really nice tonight," she said, pushing a lock of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, especially since it was so hot for the past week." Lloyd sat next to her, draping one arm against a bent knee. He looked at the moon with her, his shoulder just slightly leaning against her own. "Wish it had been this cool when I was working outside though." He laughed, the tension already easing from him.

Still, there was a small, barely heard tone. Not in his voice now, but in his silence as he watched the sky. Colette measured that silence as the insects chirped around them, broken by the occasional song of a night bird.

"It should be a good night of traveling for Sheena and Zelos then," she said lightly. "It's too bad they didn't stay. I would've liked to see them again."

"Mm-hmm." Lloyd kept his gaze upward.

She turned to him, noting that troubled shadow pass over his face. She placed her hand on top of his own, which had been laying palm-flat on the floor space between them.

"Lloyd?"

He looked at her.

"Remember when you said I shouldn't keep any more secrets from you?"

While she was sure she didn't sound accusing, and was trying her best not to, Lloyd's self-deprecating smile showed that he instantly understood how such a thing should work both ways.

"Sorry. I guess… it's just been bugging me."

Colette gripped his hand. "You mean with them leaving?"

"Yeah." He returned her grip with a light one of his own, moving his eyes back to the mass blanket of stars shining overhead. "It was really fun having them over. And with you coming, I thought we'd all have another night like that, kinda like when we were all together before."

Even though the journey had been hard, there had been fun moments, especially among the four of them. Reckless excursions during their stay in Altamira, joking with each other loudly when they camped out in safer places, despite some stares from older companions such as Raine or Regal. Time and again, Colette would be grateful that she had been allowed to live long enough to experience such fun memories. How long had it been since she'd spoken to either the summoner and her fellow Chosen? Possibly a year. A long year, with everyone focused on their own tasks to make the united world a better place.

But when she saw Lloyd keep her eyes away from her again, she could tell other things were preoccupying his mind.

"That's not all though, is it?" she said, poking his shoulder.

"Heh…" Lloyd's expression was one of relief. He wasn't like Colette; keeping secrets, especially troubling ones, always weighed down on him heavily. Staying quiet regarding Colette's condition during their journey had been one of the hardest things he had to do. And he hadn't succeeded for very long, eventually letting it slip to the group.

"Well, there's this… other thing, just before they left. When Sheena was making dinner, she got all…"

"What?" Colette prompted.

"Um…" He scratched at a nonexistent itch at his neck, suddenly looking uneasy. "I don't know how to explain it. She just… started acting kinda weird." He looked to the floorboards for a second, then back to her. "Hey, Colette. Do you ever remember Sheena… hugging anyone?"

"Oh?" She instantly went through any possible moments, scrunching her forehead in thought.

Lloyd laughed at her expression. "You don't have to think so hard about it."

"I'm sorry," she said, already falling back into her habit. "So, um, you're saying that Sheena hugged you?"

"Yeah." Lloyd started to look uncomfortable again. "I mean, she never did that with anyone we know, right? Not even when we were all in Mizuho?"

Colette had to shake her head. "I suppose not." She laughed at him happily. "Why are you so embarrassed about that? We do that all the time."

Even more strange, Lloyd was usually the one to initiate the hugs too. Surely he should be fine with hugging in general, even with others. But she could tell there was something about this that was very discomforting to him.

"Yeah, but like…" he grinned shamefully. "It's Sheena, you know? And before that, Zelos had left looking all angry, and then she just started leaving too and was talking all fast…"

Colette blinked. She hadn't heard about that. "Was she okay?"

"I guess maybe?" At first it wasn't noticeable, but now she saw how red suffused his cheeks. "And also her hug, lasted a bit long. Well, maybe not that long, but…"

He went quiet after that, still holding onto her hand. There was something so very young about him, something that he kept with him ever since she first met him as a small child. It was what had drawn her to him almost immediately, ecstatic to have found something so valuable.

Going over Lloyd's words, she believed she understood. She squeezed his hand affectionately. "It sounds like she likes you, Lloyd."

He looked at her in clear confusion. "I would hope so. I like her too and all."

Colette shook her head, trying to restrain a giggle. "No, no. I meant, that she must really like you!"

It took him more than a moment to fully understand. It was as if someone slowly creaked open a door that he had never before knew even existed. Colette's shoulders shook in mirth, seeing the blood rush to all parts of his face, including his ears.

"Wha- For real? She actually thinks of me like that?" He ran his hand through his hair, almost unsure what to do with himself.

Years of him being known in the small village as the loud-mouthed kid being raised by some strange dwarf in the forest hadn't exactly made him very popular among the girls before. Some would laugh straight in his face when he had been trying to wield double-swords, or point at the way he dressed (suspenders had not been considered cool, even back then). Perhaps that was another reason why Colette would always stand by him - if others could not see the value that he had, that was their loss and her own gain.

It seemed that Sheena had seen that, too. Colette was surprised though that she didn't feel any jealousy about that. She had done so once when Lloyd had commented on the princess of Tethe'alla, his ego just slightly boosted when he and the others had been rewarded for their rescue of her. Was the difference was that Sheena was a friend?

She saw that same ego there, with the boy blushing furiously at the thought of a woman (and an older one, at that!) liking him. Yet that was soon replaced with the same confusion from before, making him frown. "But…that makes less sense. If she liked me, why would she leave then?"

"Maybe…" Colette suggested. "Maybe you said something that made her think you didn't like her back?"

He blinked, thinking about it.

"Did you?"

"Um…all I remember doing was teasing her about her and Zelos. And the last thing I told her was of you coming over. But… I never said I didn't like her or anything."

Colette leaned forward, smiling. "Do you though?"

Lloyd took his time in answering. The breeze was still pleasant against her skin, bringing with it scents from the pine trees outside, from the flowers that inhabited the fields from miles away.

"Sheena's… always been like a pal, I thought. I mean, she's nice and pretty, too, and I feel that I don't always have to put up something with her." He shrugged, almost apologizing in nature. "But like…when imagining her like that, it just changes things, doesn't it? And it's like, knowing she thinks of me like that, I think I'd then be too afraid of saying the wrong thing to her all the time."

Colette giggled. "Lloyd, liking someone like that doesn't mean you have to change the way you act. That's the reason why they like you in the first place."

Lloyd thought over her words, then shook his head. "Probably. Man, now I'm gonna be all nervous when she comes back. It's just easier having it the other way."

That seemed to answer her question. As a friend, Lloyd liked Sheena. Beyond that, his mind couldn't seem to wrap around the concept. Going on that, her words left her mouth before she realized it.

"Do you like me?"

Lloyd stared, caught off guard. It had come so suddenly, and to be fair, Colette hadn't planned on asking such a question.

He smiled at her gently. "Of course I like you. Why do you gotta ask?"

The answer was so natural, coming out with barely a thought. Because to be truthful, he could not imagine a life where Colette would ever be unlikable to him, no matter anything.

She knew this, too, which was why she leaned forward to give him a quick kiss. She had meant to just touch his cheek, but maybe she was eager, or maybe Lloyd had turned his head by just a fraction at the last second. Their lips connected, blossoming a warmth that went well with the cool night air.

Colette lingered there for just an extra moment before she moved back. Her hand was still held in his own, heating her skin.

"I like you a lot, Lloyd. It's no surprise that Sheena would to."

In response, Lloyd brought their entwined hands closer to him. She leaned into his chest, breathing softly. Her heightened senses heard his heart beating, felt the small, satisfied sigh as he settled his chin in her hair.

"Thanks, Colette," he whispered.

She nodded, smiling up at him. Both stayed like that, content in each other's presence. The moments passed, subject to the sounds of the dark forest surrounding them, comforting them in its solitude.

Against the backdrop of the dark sky, she saw Lloyd grin.

"Hey, you know, maybe if more girls like me, I can start one of those harem things that Zelos keeps mentioning."

"Oh! What's that?" Colette asked in sincere curiosity.

"Um…" Lloyd had to ponder that for a moment. "I don't really know. I think it's some kind of band?"

"That sounds fun! Could I be the singer in your harem?"

"Yeah! And I could play the drums! I always wanted to try those." And then they both laughed, Colette leaning more against Lloyd who welcomed her with an arm wrapped around her waist. Her laughter devolved into breathless giggles, already basically on his lap.

"You know, Colette," she heard Lloyd say, sounding a bit more serious than before. "I'm not sure if you're totally right though. About Sheena, I mean."

She raised her head, a little too relaxed to realize how close their faces were. "How come?"

"Well… you say she must have really liked me. But… she still followed after Zelos in the end anyway."

Colette thought carefully about it, one hand placed against her chin. "Hmm." Then she smiled. "Maybe you're right. They are traveling together after all."

"Yeah." With that, Lloyd brought her even closer to him, replacing her hand with his own to bring her chin up. "Hey," he said to her softly.

"Hey," she said back, feeling her chest tighten so nicely.

"I missed you."

For a short moment, she felt happy tears threaten to fall. She blinked them away. "Me too."

His kiss was even warmer than before, and the night breeze was soothing, cooling her flushed cheeks, making their closeness even sweeter than she could imagine.

She really hoped Zelos and Sheena, during their own journey, would find their own happiness as well.


End file.
